Hopes and prayers

Throughout our history Jews have recited special prayers “for the welfare of the government.” The biblical prophet Jeremiah wrote from Jerusalem in the sixth century BCE, “Seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray to the Lord in its behalf; for in its prosperity you shall prosper.” Jeremiah believed that the well-being of the Israelites depended on the stability, health and justice of the ambient culture and reigning government under which they lived.

The practice of prayers offered in houses of worship further developed in this country. The earliest versions of those prayers were for the well-being of British royalty. With the Revolution a change is indicated in the liturgy of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia (1782). The royal family was eliminated in the blessing and replaced by “His Excellency the President, and Hon’ble Delegates of the United States of America in Congress Assembled, His Excellency George Washington, Captain General and Commander in Chief of the Federal Army of these States,” the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, and “all kings and potentates in alliance with North America.” The prayer was noticeably depersonalized except for the mention of George Washington. Afterwards, American Jews blessed officeholders (“the President”) rather than named individuals.

Throughout American history a prayer for the government has served as a revealing historical barometer of the relationship between people of faith and the state. The changes in these prayers point to what worshippers believe are the critical issues at the time and the complex moral tensions they engender.

Such a prayer is included in the High Holiday prayer book developed by Joseph Rosenstein, professor of Mathematics at Rutgers, now used at the 92nd Street Y.

A Prayer for Our Leaders

The fulfillment of our dreams depends in large measure
on the wisdom and courage of our leaders.

We pray that our leaders
have the wisdom to seek and find solutions
to the challenges that we face
and the courage to implement them.

We pray that they use their powers wisely and well.

We pray that our leaders practice compassion,
remembering that all human beings
are created in the image of God,
that each human life is valuable and sacred.

We pray that our leaders practice justice,
striving for the good of all,
all the people of our society,
all the people of God’s earth.

We pray that our leaders recognize
the unique opportunity they have been given
to make a difference in the world,
and that they rise above
their backgrounds and their limitations
and use that opportunity with wisdom and courage.

We pray that our leaders
reflect in their policies and decisions
the noble ideals that we all share.

We pray that You stand beside them and guide them
through the night with a light from above.

Amen.

I hope all citizens of our nation find their aspirations for our leaders in these words.